Chick-fil-A: Stop Trying to Control the Conversation

Chick-fil-A can assume any stance it wishes on any issue, but when it comes to communicating with customers, the only valid and effective stance in the social era is honesty. If you're proud of your stance, stick with it -- don't obfuscate, don't create your own version of the truth, and for heaven's sake, don't impersonate a teenage girl on Facebook (not sayin' they did -- just saying it's a horrible idea).

When people are under stress, many respond with remarkable grace, courage
and decisiveness. Then there are those who, under great stress, become
paralyzed, flail about, or lash out in unproductive and unprovoked ways.

The social era is showing us that while corporations are not people, they are run by
people. And choosing wisely when elevating people to leadership positions is critical.
It can make
the difference between whether the business reacts with great grace or with panic
when faced with a crisis.

Take the Chick-fil-A kerfluffle of this summer. I have an opinion on the root issues
of it, but that's not the point of this column. The point here is that Chick-fil-A did
something that virtually all people can agree was dumb and damaging to customer
relationships.

Don't Be Shifty

I'm not even talking about the phony Facebook account, for which the company has denied
responsibility -- although it does demonstrate how easily a crisis can spin out of
control. (Note to other companies: Don't create fictional people to argue for you
-- and look out for potentially fictional people on your Facebook account in crisis
situations.)

When CEO Dan Cathy's remarks about gay marriage were publicized,
the Jim Henson Company severed ties with the restaurant. Muppet toys were being
given away in children's meals; the Jim Henson Company released a statement that
said, in part, "the Jim Henson Company has celebrated and embraced diversity and
inclusiveness for over fifty years and we have notified Chick-fil-A that we do not
wish to partner with them on any future endeavors."

Fair enough -- with the storm clouds gathering, the Henson folks wanted to get out
of the line of fire. Moreover, they felt they needed to cut ties to adhere to their own
ethical standard. And they were transparent about their motivations and actions.

Shortly thereafter, Chick-fil-A posted signs in at least two stores saying the toys had been
removed from meals the day before the Muppets bailed out, citing "safety concerns."
That explanation was then verified by the company as the reason the toys were being removed from
the meals. It had nothing to do with the decision of the Henson organization to walk
away from their partnership -- nothing at all.

Don't Tangle With Muppets

I'm trying to take all of this at face value and give people the benefit of the doubt.
But here it is: If you pick a fight with the Muppets, you're going to lose. And if you
make it look like you're being deceitful, spiteful, or less than
truthful, don't be shocked when people assume a fake Facebooker is yet another
attempt to control and shape the conversation.

This goes to the concept of being authentic -- a key part of what it means to build
relationships in the social CRM era. People want to do business with people they
like, and most people have misgivings about businesses when there's a pile-up of
controversial and potentially dishonest anecdotes about them.

One is an anecdote,
two is a coincidence, and three is a trend -- and by the time you get to three,
customers are disinclined to do business with you.

Chick-fil-A can assume any stance it wishes on any issue, but when it comes to
communicating with customers, the only valid and effective stance in the social era
is honesty. If you're proud of your stance, stick with it and be forthcoming about it
-- don't obfuscate, don't create your own version of the truth, and for heaven's sake,
don't impersonate a teenage girl on Facebook (not sayin' they did -- just saying
it's a horrible idea).

It may sound glib, but it's true: If you're not transparent in
social media, customers are going to see right through you.

CRM Buyer columnist Chris Bucholtz blogs about CRM at the
CRM Outsiders. He has been a technology journalist for 17 years and has immersed himself in the world of CRM since 2006. When he's not wearing his business and technology geek hat, he's wearing his airplane geek hat; he's written three books on World War II aviation.